Two Vanuatu RSE workers, Willie Tokon Tankon and Jonathan Lumu, were tried in the Tauranga District Court for charges of rape and sexual violation involving a woman during a party in 2020.
Forensic evidence showed both men had sex with the woman at their accommodation on the last night of the picking season.
While Lumu was acquitted of all charges, Tankon was found guilty of rape by a majority verdict, though he was acquitted on charges of sexual violation.
The defense argued the encounters were consensual.
The trial revealed conflicting accounts, with Lumu claiming consensual sex after flirting with the woman throughout the night.
Tankon, on the other hand, was accused of raping the woman after she had already been allegedly assaulted by Lumu.
The woman testified that she was held against her will and cried for help during the assaults, although inconsistencies in witness testimonies and gaps in her memory complicated the case.
Tankon was remanded in custody, with sentencing scheduled for February.
“….although inconsistencies in witness testimonies…”
THAT alone should render this case, which reeks of delayed remorse/shame, thrown out.